Firefly Glen couldn't give me a myth, so I had to write my own

@Jarilo ! dated some hours after whiteout

 

Hydra traveled with her brother toward where she knew the fallen mammal had last been. By the time they arrived there together, there was nothing left of the thing but for the most measly of scraps and its bones. Hydra had been well-sated by her own fill of it, and was pleased for her hunt... chaotic though it could have become, it had not. The lone wolf had retreated and none of her pack present had been harmed, herself or her brother included... and a majority of their hunters had been fed. She had hoped for something more than this to be present for her brother when they arrived, but had suspected—and had said—that they likely might not find much else to it now. 

But there was sustenance to be found in bones, and enough there for him to at least fill his stomach with something. Hydra had brought him here for more reason than one, and her ear twitched as she drawled, we found her in a whiteout. It must have been separated from its herd. The conditions had not permitted investigation... and covered the tracks of all that had been came and went. But the fact remained: there must be a herd somewhere near. Prey could be returning; perhaps it would clambor upon their mountain again sooner rather than later. Hydra wanted to get a good hunt in before the full savagery of winter took a hold on the wilds.

When the others had ranged out earlier and ended up finding what they had, he had stayed further up the mountain. Too far to want to hassle with the poor weather down there, anyway, so had went about all of his business otherwise unknowingly until they returned with the words. Still.. even after the fact, he still wanted to check it out and see what was left for himself. And, it never hurt to keep the Moonspear presence fresh in the lowlands like this.

So he followed his sister's lead to where they had felled the unfortunate beast--but for them, and even without much left for right now--he was still wanting to be hopeful of what this meant. Any good signs, ripe for the picking.. why deny it? The tremors of the earth had long stopped, maybe--maybe prey could return sooner than expected? Hard to tell so soon, but, with certainty, he stepped up to investigate the remains while his ears tipped towards Hydra. Hopefully there still is a rest of the herd, somewhere.. he supposed, not able to gauge the deer's condition by these mere scraps and crumbs that he sniffed at--unsure if she was long separated, or a recent split--maybe made worse by the weather. 

He nosed a bone, singling it out. Was anyone else around when you found her? he asked, lifting his nose from the ground just long enough to watch for his sister's answer. Wolves, other predators, and whatever else. He wondered if simple prey larger than a rabbit had drawn any attention based on that alone.. or if the whiteout simply made that too impossible, for it was certainly hard to discern here in the aftermath.

A hearty caw was heard as Jarilo advanced upon the carcass; a lingering crow elected, now, to retreat and keep its distance from the two predators. As for her brothers question, Hydra felt there must be; the question was only where it was they had gone. There was no telling now, even with such a keen nose as her own; expert she might be, but nature was one thing Hydra could not best. The whiteout had eradicated all traces of anything that might lead them somewhere in this matter, and she huffed. What remained was crowsfeet upon the earth, and evidence of other scavengers, too, the rest long gone. 

Turning to face Jarilo after she had sussed out the perimeter, she rumbled, I had been scouting for prey with Arcturus. At first it had been just the two of us; a lone wolf came upon us, though we fought her off before she could get away with anything beyond a bite. A coyote, too, before Moriko and Katya came, her muzzle wrinkled as she spoke of the 'yote, though her features fell back to impassivity before long; she detested the latter more than the former as a whole, given their typical nature. And in any case, Moonspear had prevailed in the end. I imagine we have the whiteout to thank for that much, she drawled; not many would elect to travel in such conditions.

Breathing it all in, deep and whole, pairing alongside what his sister shared to flesh out the encounter, he was getting good picture of it. Good, he agreed with a low note. Although I could do without the loner or the coyote in the area at all. Hopefully they took the hint and moved well on, he mentioned. The persistent coyotes and occasional trespassing fools were nuisance enough sometimes. With famine to motivate them into worse, though? He didn't like the possibilities that could create--then what issues for them to deal with would inevitably follow. I want to scout into the flatlands a little more myself. I'll keep an eye out for more, he murmured. For more prey and more scavengers both, though he also had other motives too.

As for the whiteout? Most likely, but they were mountain-dwellers, used to when it was a little dicey out. He took that much with an understandable nod, that let the edges of the smirk form. At least it was in their favor, and for an inner piece of him, further confirmation into the pride he had been raised on. The mountain took care of them in a great many ways.

He was quiet for a long moment, listening, though to nothing in particular as he thought about that. After a soft exhale, he looked up from the remains to Hydra once more. Do you think the winter will get much worse than this..? Prey and weather-wise.. all else, too, he wondered. The days were short, nights so long--they had to be approaching the longest ones of the year if he had to guess--not that he was keen enough to know exactly when. However, mother always had.. allowing him to rely on her to know when it really truly was, so this lingered in the back of his head, too.

Had she known it was going to be like this? Was this why she had put her foot down and ended it all on their father's descent, before he could take the rest of them with him? He felt colder at the thought.

The matriarch nodded to her brother, agreeing to both points. If not, whatever coyotes we find that come too close we can do as we ever do, take them down, and as for loners... well, we will take care of them too. Case by case, with them; some were worth keeping, and others were better off chased away if they were keen to take what was not theirs. As far as scouting the lowlands, it did not seem so bad an idea. Keep to the Wilderness, she advised, because as far as she was concerned the whole of it would someday be theirs. It would not do to be possessive over more than that, though perhaps one of her progeny could continue her great work; an Ostrega manning the Wilderness, and one of her children inheriting the Sunspire from Mahler with his own cub—

Hydra would be the one to accomplish it all. What would be would be, and where there was a will there was a way; Hydra had that will. 

Sniffing at the carcass now and placing her teeth upon the creatures ribs, Hydra settled a heavy paw against the bulk of it as she began to tug away at it. It would be a good plaything for her cubs, she determined... but then her eyes drifted to the skull. Thinking of how @Osiris had begun mimicking her in his own collection, Hydra determined to bring this home to him too from this days trip. 

When Jarilo next spoke, she paused in her prying and licked her chops. Perhaps, she admitted. Neverwinter recently learned we do not take kindly to those taking food from the Glen; I am not certain with the prey. This find seems promising, she revealed, but I do not think the hard times are over yet. Hydra's own clock was similar to her mothers, so she sensed the arrival and nearness of that day. As for the final question, Hydra looked to him with a sigh. 

My reign has just begun, truly. The season of womens heat approaches. I must establish my authority over all of the women again so we do not have a repeat of last year, she drawled, huffing, and hope that Dirge takes control of the men; you have always been able to resist the pull of it, Jarilo. But I think you are like our mother, and myself. You wait for the worthy, she thought aloud, commending him off-handedly. Hydra moved to nose his shoulder; of all of her siblings, Jarilo was steadfast and stalwart. She could ever count on him; she recognized he had never, not even once, failed her. 

Have you ever thought of leading, Jarilo? She inquired, moving to again prize the bone from beast; there was still a beta position open in their own ranks, but perhaps he too might find interest in leading in another territory such as the Glen to begin their good work of taking over the Wilderness. Hydra's senses were attuned to him, though her eyes politely focused on the quarry she tugged at.

He accepted with an easy nod, never once having any reason to doubt Moonspear's strength within their reach. Whatever came to them only made it more convenient to deal with, so there were no concerns to be had about that. Even in looking out and beyond, he was confident, but not blindly so. They had not raised fools here and there were few things he could rush towards without thorough pondering, which this was no different.

From his spot opposite his sister, Jarilo helped weigh down a piece of carcass when she tugged, trying to help separate it while still nosing around himself. When she brought up Neverwinter, he scoffed over the exposed vertebrate once leading to a neck he poked with his snout. It looked pretty dry and certainly picked awfully clean, but maybe something worth crunching on anyway. He didn't have particularly fond views of their neighbors he had hardly bothered to meet. Neverwinter had been useful turf and resources to him.. especially in the summer months, so any barricade to that was just annoying. Then again, that still left plenty of time for them to either move on or fizzle out, honestly. Maybe difficult hunting and looming Moonspear presence would eventually be enough to simply drive them onward and away.

But her next turn of the subject pricked his ears more than before, and he was keenly aware of the lingering dread he still felt anytime such a matter of the season came up. His expression went tight.. but her praise, noted. Not just thanks to the similarities she reminded him of, either. Still.. perhaps in part to his inexperience, Jarilo could not fathom not waiting for worthy. Why not? When he was fine.. not? It only seemed to invite trouble otherwise and a situation worth proceeding intentionally with. I hope so. I try.. He was a reserved personality, enough to make it easy to do.  He licked his lips--mostly nerves, partially thinking about bones. We do not need last year again, he sighed, jaded about that and still hurt, still raw, thanks to that long drawn out stress that ended the worst way possible. Anyway: Leading? Not.. really. Not lately. Especially not since that happened. Hydra would know. He had lost valuable mentors then. Others had grown up into roles of a nearby niche since, but it had kept him distracted--asunder, in some ways. The look he left that on lingered her way, curious what that meant.. his honest answer aside.

Hydra agreed with him wholeheartedly in a rumble. They did not, and she would not endure it again either in so pacisfist a manner. Hydra had run off Speedy, and she would do the same to any other that dared challenge her authority and direspect her so. I am glad to have done what I had in chasing her out. I feel as though my children are stronger for it, she drawled. Better fed, at least. She would not have those bastards competing for their resources. Speedy had done enough to their family; she would not kill her own children as well as her parents. 

As for her other point? She saw his curiosity, though respected his answer. Still, she would not leave him wondering. Father had wanted me to claim this Wilderness. I wondered if you would prefer leading at some point in Moonspear, someday... or perhaps a neighboring territory at some point. Not now, but when you feel ready, she drawled. Hydra thought of another face, too; that of Dragomir. He was a promising young boy who she knew would protect the Wilderness... who already did in all of his scouting. She had already decided she would groom him for such, but perhaps Jarilo might wish to guide him... or wait for one of her own children to aid in another branch. She wanted to hear his thoughts on all of it; her fathers dreams had never been entirely his own, but something Hydra had thought of to herself without entirely knowing it. Her mother would have helped her exercise the claim if she had survived, she liked to think; they were all possessive over what they considered was their own. The Spear, the Glen—soon enough, the remaining Wilderness.

His glance went chilly when Hydra more directly alluded to Speedy, and chasing her out. He had never doubted it.. and compared to her own pups, Jarilo's eyes flashed. He had thought about this. Thought long, painfully, over his last times with their mother that he had not been ready to understand fully then and how it related to the dynamic his sister was left to uphold. I know they are. Imagine feeding any more than those sets of teeth this year, of all times? They were lucky.  I really understand why mom was like she was over this, looking around now... he seethed, hating to even remotely think about needing to tolerate and cater to providing for bastard siblings here right underneath his nose. I will never be able to see why her, and why dad thought that was the right way to go about this. And.. here? Jarilo's hackles gave a shift, his frown had darkened, so he shook out his ruff to readjust himself with a sigh, then paused to sniff at the shifting winds.

He still had ugly thoughts surrounding the matter and by now, he was plenty tired of them. The vengeance did not feel like wholly his, but he knew right where it came from. There was a chance this would not go away on its own and he was beginning to accept this, however. It might be stronger, once..

Returning that thought for later on, he clicked shut his teeth and held it. Not disagreeing was a start, so he nodded first. Thinking of anywhere not Moonspear was exactly where his road cut short and unfamiliar trepidation rose to take its place. Yeah.. I worry I would miss being up so high anywhere else at the very least, he admitted through a heavy sigh, and the concern was not completely unfounded, it was probably not his whole story. Distance, too, would wound him. He had a lot here on Moonspear that was his and above all, it was right where his stability came from. 

But as she said, this was not right now. It didn't have to be. He appreciated this, though.

Hydra was appreciative of his perspective; it was a relief, to say the least, that he understood. It seemed all did but to hear it made it all the more easier to accept her own decisions made on the matter. It was less the childrens fault and more the fault of the two who went out of the way to disobey orders without any sense behind it. Never again, and she had Jarilo behind her to back her. Her sisters, too; Arcturus she imagined would agree with her, unless he was more like her father than she imagined and thought with the wrong head in these matters. Her mate surely agreed, too, she figured given it was for the survival of their own... which they had worked hard for this past year for them to survive at all. 

She need say no more; she knew Jarilo understood, and he knew she understood, they felt the same in this. At least she has never returned, she drawled, ears twitching. If she ever did, she would not live to tell of it should Hydra catch wind of it. 

As for the next sentiment, Hydra nodded. Mmm. Understood. Perhaps Dragomir then, for the short distance, at the least. She adored the young boy and saw much promise in him; she hoped to see him lead, too, and this way he could do so and still have her advisement and assistance whenever he needed. She hoped to always be here for the Wodakru boy in that way. Beyond that, Hydra could not deny she was glad to hear Jarilo wanted to stay; he was a good teacher to her children, patient with their ankle-biting ways... and there would be more new milk-teeth to suffer through the upcoming year, she imagined. You have always been by my side, and I am glad to keep it that way; I only wondered if you might want more than that, though could there be more? Not really, not for wolves as family-oriented as she and he. Hydra could expand, and Jarilo could see to it from within while others acted on her behalf and furthered their claim of this Wilderness.

He sighed heavier than he meant it to be. It was both good and bad Speedy had never returned. Good, because they were spared from dealing with it, but bad.. because they couldn't deal with it absolutely just to finish every and all doubt that still plagued him. He wished they could have prevented the whole fucked-up thing to start, still to this day and since they had not been able to stop that, the only whole answer was complete erasure.. hard to do when it was how it was, even with the physical distance.

Shelving that for later, it was the other topic that he yielded to absolutely. Dragomir was an interesting consideration, and maybe through such, it could help expand their guard well into the foothills--if they needed it, because lately he had no doubt that they could once some of the pups got older and if everyone stuck to it and proved themselves loyal enough. He wondered when the wilds would shift next because of it, and very true, he was comfortable to support Hydra from her side, here most of all. Her family was his family, and all the same, their success meant his comfort and strength together too.

I don't know how I would want more right now, he replied. I want to keep supporting you, the family, and the Spear-- he said, his attachments running deep, and freely on the slopes of his home. Nothing yet pushed him enough to need that more. He had no mate, no pups his own, or parents anymore--only a keen devotion to what was left, which was exactly that. But, if the way to do that had to change for me, it is a thought I do want to keep.. For later, maybe, if things were to ever change and if he would feel that certain self-assurance bloom--and know that he could meet the criteria that his father had left him with. He couldn't imagine Hydra not being his first confidant in the matter before it reached that, anyway. Just like now, just how it always had been.

For the time, on his own outlook, he wanted to leave it there and so he peered down to the leftover carcass. He thought the chill on the breeze bit a little worse about then. Should we head back soon? he asked, then squinting past her into the cold winds. Or was there more for him to see?

Fading this one <3

 

Hydra moved to nose Jarilo, tail swaying behind her. You will, she knew. It was in his blood, to be loyal and to support. Hydra had always felt it, perhaps from him most of all among their younger siblings. There had not been a singular moment in which she had doubted him. Likely because he had never doubted her. As far as a way to do it, Hydra considered; then and there she could think of nothing, but for him she would start in the chance he wanted something such as this. 

His next inquiry was met with a nod as she, too, felt the weather changing. Hydra shifted to tear the bone she had been prying free from the carcass, having a mind to take it to her cubs to compete over. That done, the matriarch turns to depart the scene to return home with Jarilo alongside her, mind still mulling over their discussion idly.